which surefire A2 LED color to get? (WH or YG)

I am really considering getting the A2, but what led color???
I like the color rendition of the white but have never used the yellow-green. would it help keep my night vision if I am poking around the house at night?
I was thinking the yellow-green might give some color rendition, at least more than the red.

thanks!

If you are not sure, I would go with white LEDs for better color rendition. If you are looking to preserve night vision, you could get the red LEDs (I don't think yellow-green will work for this). If you only want to preserve your night vision some of the time, you could get the white LEDs for general use and find a red filter to use when you need it.

I have a white and green a2. I would buy the green led. It is great for using at night to tune radios etc. without distubing your night vision. It also seems to project better than a red led. It is the perfect light to use when you wake up at 3:00 in the morning. The only negative is that when the incad. bulb turns on you have a slight green tint.


This is an excellent light.

I don't have a A2, but when I had a Kroma Milspec the YG led's were much dimmer than the red and definitly preserved night vision. YG also had slightly better color rendition, but not too terribly much.

if you have no specific need for red or green/yellow i would get the white as well. they are not too bright so they wont overkill your night vision. plus white generally has the best color rendition.

mark

sheterd, have you seen the A2 review I did:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/119758

That thread has beamshots, including side by side comparisons, color rendition pics, etc. of all A2 LED colors (except blue - nobody seems to own one of those).

Generally speaking, I prefer white LED's to any other color. That said, the Y/G LED's are really, really interesting. They seem a lot dimmer than any of the other colors, but once you are in complete darkness and your eyes are adapted, they are super useful, and color rendition isn't bad at all.

White. Unless you are using NVG's and then, the YG would be a better choice.

-Goatee

I have a YG A2 and as greenLED said it is very dim compared to the other colors. However for me it is ideal as I use it to read sky charts at night when I am star gazing. It is also excellent for reading maps at night and the color rendition is very good. In fact I prefer it for this task over my red Surefire L1.

Ed

i got mine is white cause its the natural choice

Hello Seth,

I have been very pleased with the yellow/green LED's. The beam has some artifacts and is dimmer than the white LED's, but it works out great for me. Colors are a bit off under the yellow/green light, but I find that I can quickly adjust.

It is my humble opinion that all of the LED colors are too bright for "night eyes," but since the yellow/green is the dimmest, it comes the closest to preserving your night vision.

Tom

Ahh!!! I'm still not sure!

how is reading text with the yellow-green?

I would buy the white LED model and a red filter made by bushwacker, (size 1). Therefore you can put the filter on when you have to have red. Bushwacker also makes several colors of filters..maybe you could buy a white A2 plus a red and a Y/G bushwacker filter to cover all your needs. It would save money too.

setherd said:

Ahh!!! I'm still not sure!

how is reading text with the yellow-green?

Click to expand...

Great for me. I agree with SilverFox that the colors are too bright for my uses (primarily reading). The Y-G is good for me though.

Back when math was done on slide rules, one of the major slide rule companies did some research on eye strain. They decided that a particular shade of yellow was best for reading fine scales, so Pickett slide rules were mostly yellow. The SureFire Y-G A2s are not too far off that color. It does seem to be an easy color to read by.

Scott

P.S. greenLED, that is a seriously awesome review!

Another vote for white here, and I've owned all the varieties except for the blue. If you primarily want a good beam for reading, lightly sanding the LEDs will give you a beautifully diffused beam (more practical than stock for a lot of uses).

I would go for White as it is versatile

YG is great for reading text at night. I would get the YG model because it is dimmer than the others. The Red is nice for walking in the woods at night, but YG is sufficient if your eyes are night adapted.